Post-Colonial Analysis on Things Fall Apart

Post-Colonial Analysis on Things Fall Apart

PLOT SUMMARY

*Things Fall Apart is centered on the life of the protagonist of the novel, Okonkwo. As the novel develops Okonkwo accidentally kills a man and he and his family are exiled from Umuofia. During his exile white missionaries arrive in Umuofia and change the village. When Okonkwo returns to his village he sees the major transformations that Umuofia has undergone during his exile.

Unhappy with the change, Okonkwo and other villagers come together to drive the white missionaries out of their land. Their efforts are in vain as the missionaries send their messengers to abort the meeting. Okonkwo kills one of the messengers and in shock at his actions the villagers let the other messengers escape. The messengers report back to the missionaries and they take off to bring Okonkwo to justice only to find him dead.

ANALYSIS

The title Things Fall Apart obviously suggests the fall of Igbo culture as well as the fall of Okonkwo. The piece digs deeper into the dims of Igbo culture, also its glows. Though these flaws also add to the destruction of their culture, Igbo’s collapse was mainly ascribed to their incapacity and refusal to acquire English due to the belief of its minimal use to their everyday lives.

Similarly, the missionaries, whose arrival in the secluded land of Igbo prompted them that mankind also exists elsewhere, strongly influenced and controlled over the Igbos and their soil as they were modernized and well-educated.

Uncivilized people in dire need of their help. It’s how the missionaries find the Igbo. Hence, using their influence to spread their gospel and abolish Igbo traditional customs and beliefs, the missionaries harshly ruled over the Igbo land. Needless to say, the intruders are way superior to the Igbo tribe as evident in the novel.

Superior in comparison to Igbo, the missionaries have managed to make some convert to Christianity and serve as their messengers. The white men saw Igbo as a burden that they had to take care of by informing and educating them of things they did not know. The missionaries believed their culture to be morally superior to Igbo’s and this resulted to a discord between the two cultures.

Equally, the Igbo community has benefited a lot from the European colonialism. Education was introduced, thus lowering the illiteracy rate in the Igbo village and enlightened Igbos of today. The white men’s teaching of own culture to the Igbo society made them learn something new which they apply to their own though the transition is hard.

*On the other hand, as a consequence to the arrival of the white missionaries, the Igbo lost most of their solidarity values. Moreover, social coherence between the individual and society was lost, coupled with their traditional values and lifestyle. Because of the confused state of mind of Igbo not knowing whether to reject or embrace these changes, it ultimately led to their fall mainly because of their loyalty to the language.  

The arrival of white missionaries in Umuofia was to take over the ruling of it and because Igbo are a compassionate society that was also unsuspecting of the white men’s intentions, they welcomed them into their land and also gave them a piece of their land not knowing that these men will be the cause of the collapse of their culture.

Without culture Igbo society is as good as dead, hence the significance of Okonkwo’s death in the end. Like Okonkwo the Igbo committed suicide by not being suspicious of the white missionary’s intentions in their land or questioning his presence.

*taken from Things Fall Apart: An Analysis

of Pre and Post-Colonial Igbo Society

by Lame Maatla Kenalemang